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Seneca

1 American  
[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

Senecas plural
  1. a member of the largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy of North American Indians, formerly inhabiting western New York and being conspicuous in the wars south and west of Lake Erie.

  2. an Iroquoian language of the Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga tribes.


Seneca 2 American  
[sen-i-kuh] / ˈsɛn ɪ kə /

noun

  1. Lucius Annaeus c4 b.c.–a.d. 65, Roman philosopher and writer of tragedies.


Seneca 1 British  
/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

  1. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living south of Lake Ontario; one of the Iroquois peoples

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Seneca 2 British  
/ ˈsɛnɪkə /

noun

  1. Lucius Annaeus (əˈniːəs), called the Younger. ?4 bc –65 ad , Roman philosopher, statesman, and dramatist; tutor and adviser to Nero. He was implicated in a plot to murder Nero and committed suicide. His works include Stoical essays on ethical subjects and tragedies that had a considerable influence on Elizabethan drama

  2. his father, Marcus (ˈmɑːkəs) or Lucius Annaeus, called the Elder or the Rhetorician. ?55 bc –?39 ad , Roman writer on oratory and history

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of Seneca

From the New York Dutch word Sennecaas, etc., originally applied to the Oneida and, more generally, to all the Upper Iroquois (as opposed to the Mohawk), probably < an unattested Mahican name

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The devotion is well-earned: Smith can quote Jefferson verbatim and cites Seneca and Enlightenment philosophers without blinking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Local media reported Forest was 30-years-old and from Québec, while Gunther graduated from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto in 2023.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

She started at Seneca Health Services in January, working in rural West Virginia counties with residents facing challenges like depression or schizophrenia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies arrived Wednesday about 3:40 p.m. at the gated Rancho Seneca apartment complex, near the 15 Freeway.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2025

Bloomer’s husband owned the Seneca County Courier, and she wrote for that publication before launching the Lily.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

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